Automatic nut-lock.



G. L. EASUIL:

AUTOMATIC NUT LocK,

(Application filed June 4, 1900.)

(H0 Model.)

Patented May 7, MM.

UNTTT STATES PATENT FFICE.

GEORGE L. EASON, OF DES MOINES, IOWA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO 0. A.THOMPSON, OF SAME PLACE.

AUTOMATIC N UT-LOC K.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 673,832, dated May 7,1901. Application filed June 4, 1900. Serial 110 19344. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE L. EASON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Des Moines, in the county of Polk and State of 5 Iowa, haveinvented a new and useful Automatic Nut-Lock, of which the following isa specification.

My object is to look a nut on a bolt by means of a spring in such amanner that the spring IO will be concealed and protected and also insuch a manner that the spring must be broken by extraneous force appliedto the nut before the nut can be unlocked.

My invention consists in the construction I 5 and application of aspring and peculiar arrangement and combination of parts, as hereinafterset forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure 1 shows a screw-bolt of common form providedwith a straight longitudinal groove in its surface. Fig. 2 is a view ofa nut of common form provided with a ratchet in its inside face. Fig. 3is a side View of a leaf-spring adapted to be placed in the groove inthe bolt. Fig. 4 is a view showing the invention applied to clamp twooverlying pieces together, as required in practical use.

The letter A designates a sorew-threaded o bolt, provided with alongitudinal groove b and adapted to admit the leaf-spring o, as shownin Fig. 4. The groove does not extend to the outer end of the bolt andwill be covered and concealed by the nut in such a manner that moistureor water cannot enter the groove to corrode and damage a spring fittedin the groove.

The nutD has an internal annular ratchet formed in its inside flat faceby means of a .0 die and press or in any suitable way in such a mannerthat the end of the spring 0 will not interfere with the forwardmovement of the nut as it is placed on the bolt, but will be engaged bythe end of the spring, as required to prevent a backward motion of thenut.

The spring a is preferably made of springwire and provided with a doublecurve and one end flattened, as shown in Fig. 3, and adapted to beplaced in a groove in a bolt in such a manner that the curves will bestraight 5o ened and its flattened end projected into engagement withthe teeth of an annular ratchet in a depression in the inside face of anut, as shown in Fig. 4.

To unlock the nut and-to remove it from the bolt, force must be appliedto the nut to break the concealed spring.

Having thus described the construction and function of each operativepart, the practical utility and operation of myinvention will be readilyunderstood by persons familiar with the art to which it pertains, andwhatI claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a nut-lock, a curved spring adapted to be inclosed in a straightgroove in the surface of a bolt and one end thereof projected intoengagement with the teeth of an ann ular ratchet in a depression in theinside face of a nut, as shown and described for the purposes stated.

2. A nut-lock comprising a screw-bolt provided with a straight grooveextending from near the end of the screw-threaded portion toward thehead end portion, a curved spring fitted in said groove and its outerend adapted to engage ratchet-teeth in a nut, and a nut having anannular depression in its inside face and internal ratchet-teeth in thedepression adapted to engage the end of the spring, arranged andcombined to operate in the manner set forth for the purposes stated.

GEORGE L. EASON.

Witnesses:

PERRY L. GRAY, THOMAS G. ORWIG.

